List of season 9 episodes

Ad blocker interference detected!

Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers

Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected.

"We're not getting paid to clean stuff!"

This article is in need of cleanup in order to comply with Encyclopedia SpongeBobia's Manual of Style. Please help this Wiki by making this article clean and tidy!Please remove this message when finished.

The season was first announced on January 3, 2011, and premiered on July 21, 2012. A total of 26 episodes were produced for the season bringing the number of episodes up to 204, passing the 200-episode milestone. This season marks the show's transition to 1080i HD by now having episodes produced and aired in widescreen (16:9), the native aspect ratio of high definition.

In a statement, Brown Johnson, president of animation for Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group, said "SpongeBob's success in reaching over 200 episodes is a testament to creator Stephen Hillenburg's vision, comedic sensibility and his dynamic, lovable characters. The series now joins the club of contemporary classic Nicktoons that have hit this benchmark, so we're incredibly proud."[3][10][11][12] series creator, Stephen Hillenburg executive produces the show alongside Paul Tibbitt, who has worked on show since after the pilot.[3] Tibbitt served as a director and writer on for its first three seasons and eventually taking over the showrunner position from Hillenburg.[3] Tibbitt said, "We never imagined we would be on for that long but we're going to keep going. The trick is to try to keep the episodes funny and simple and press from there."[3][13]

On July 21, 2012, the season premiered with the episodes "Extreme Spots" and "Squirrel Records" during a SpongeBob SquarePants television marathon event called "The Super Spongy Square Games." The episode "Extreme Spots" was written by Luke Brookshier, Marc Ceccarelli, and Derek Iversen, while Tom Yasumi served as animation director. It was guest starred by actor Johnny Knoxville.[14][15][16][17] Moreover, "Squirrel Records" was written by Brookshier, Ceccarelli and Iversen, and was directed by Alan Smart. During the television event, Nickelodeon also debuted two more episodes—"Demolition Doofus" and "Face Freeze"—of the eighth season.[14][15][16][17]

Animation was handled in South Korea at Rough Draft Studios.[18][19] Production switched to high-definition in the season; the first episode "Extreme Spots," aired July 21, 2012.[20] Animation directors credited with episodes in the ninth season included Alan Smart and Tom Yasumi. Episodes were written by a team of writers, which consisted of Casey Alexander, Brookshier, Ceccarelli, Zeus Cervas, Andrew Goodman, Iversen, Mr. Lawrence, and Blake Lemons. The season was storyboarded by Alexander, Brookshier, Ceccarelli, Cervas, and Blake Lemons. Animation directors included Alan Smart and Tom Yasumi.

Vincent Waller has confirmed on his Twitter account that production on the show has halted halfway through its ninth season, due to working on The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, but has recently resumed and will continue work on the rest of this season.[21] Also, according to an interview with Princess Grace Foundation-USA, creator Stephen Hillenburg says he would return to the show following production on the second film adaptation.[22]

On June 5, 2015, Nickelodeon tweeted that "Stephen Hillenburg is back at [Nickelodeon Animation Studios] & there's a new [episode] on July 16!"[26] This new episode was a continuation of season 9. This also supports an announcement by Viacom that 20 new episodes were to be released during summer 2015.[27] However, only 5 episodes ("Lost in Bikini Bottom"/"Tutor Sauce," "The Executive Treatment"/"Squid Plus One" and "Pull Up a Barrel") premiered before the end of September 22, 2015 which is the last day of summer.

On June 23, 2015, Kaz Prapuolenis posted on Facebook an image of a "Kaz Underworld-inspired background for an upcoming SpongeBob episode, further stating that it's "the bad part of town.[28]

The previous day, Nickelodeon tweeted a GIF image which was presumed to be new footage from a future season 9 episode. The image was revealed to be from "Lost in Bikini Bottom."[29]

On December 9, 2015, Vincent Waller on Twitter released 2 screenshots from a future season 9 episode.[30] These images were revealed to be from "Married to Money." [31]

On February 3, 2016, Vincent Waller confirmed that "Larry's Gym" and "SpongeBob LongPants" are episodes and that the former would premiere on February 15, 2016.[32][33]

On June 10, 2016, Vincent Waller on Twitter released a screenshot from a future season 9 episode.[34] On the same day, the image was revealed to be from "Food Con Castaways." [35]

On July 13, 2016, Vincent Waller on Twitter released 2 screenshots from a future season 9 episode.[36] On the same day, these images were revealed to be from "Bulletin Board." [37]

On October 25, 2016, Vincent Waller on Twitter released 2 screenshots from a future season 9 episode. These images were revealed to be from "Factory Fresh." [38]

In addition to the regular cast members, episodes feature guest voices from many ranges of professions, including actors, musicians, and artists. For instance, the season premiere "Extreme Spots" was guest starred by American stunt performer and Jackass actor Johnny Knoxville voicing the character of Johnny Krill. The writing staff wrote the episode specifically for Knoxville.[39] Executive producer Paul Tibbitt said, "[Nickelodeon] wanted to do a show about extreme sports and the first thing that came to mind was Johnny Knoxville, because there are few humans living that are as extreme as him." Knoxville accepted the role because he is a fan of the show.[40][41]Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway returned, reprising their respective roles as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy in "Patrick-Man!". The episode was Borgnine's last voice-over work for the series as, on July 8, 2012, he died at the age of 95. In "License to Milkshake", comedian and Spinal Tap band member Michael McKean guest starred as the voice of Captain Frostymug.[42][43] Rapper Biz Markie guest appeared as Kenny the Cat in the episode of the same name.

Reception

In a DVD review for a season release, Paul Mavis of DVD Talk was positive on the episode "Extreme Spots," writing "[It] gets big laughs from some very funny bits, including a motorcycle ripping off SpongeBob's arms, and SpongeBob's pathetic attempts at 'extreme jump roping' and 'extreme pillow fighting.'"[20] However, the episode "Squirrel Record" was described by Mavis as "the weakest entry" on the set.[20]

The episode "SpongeBob You're Fired" was criticized for its line that is referring to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps benefit).[44] In a scene from the episode, Patrick Star tried to show SpongeBob "the benefits of being unemployed," at which he said in response, "Unemployment may be fun for you, but I need to get a job."[45] The scene was meant to demonstrate the title character's "eternal optimism and willingness to get back to work," and "do it in a way that's still funny and relatable." However, it was reported that political activists claim the "notorious line" as a "slam" to the Food Stamps benefit. In a report by The Hollywood Reporter, it stated there that the episode may have a political agenda about the social safety net.[46] It added that "It's not the first time SpongeBob has waded into social commentary, though usually when it does, it bugs the right and supports the left."[46]

Nickelodeon declined to comment on the issue caused by the message of the episode.[47] However, Russell Hicks of Nickelodeon said the show is "tapping into the news of the moment, but did not specifically address any political leanings or ideologies within the episode." In a statement, Hicks said "Like all really great cartoons, part of SpongeBob's long-running success has been its ability to tap into the zeitgeist while still being really funny for our audience. As always, despite this momentary setback, SpongeBob's eternal optimism prevails, which is always a great message for everyone."

The episode "Gary's New Toy" received a nomination at the 2013 Golden Reel Awards for the Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in Television category.[48] The show itself received several recognition. At the 40th Daytime Emmy Awards, the series was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Animation.[49] The show won the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Cartoon.[50] It also won the ASCAP Film and Television Awards for Top Television Series.[51] At the BMI Film TV Awards, the show won the BMI Cable Award.[52] Sarah Noonan was nominated at the Artios Awards of the Casting Society of America for her work.[53]